Free Web NovelChapter 38: Chapter 38
Riley’s POV
My wrists burn like fire as he releases them.
The pain is sharp for one second, then suddenly gone.
I stare down in shock as Gunnar drags his tongue slowly over the marks where his teeth sank into my skin. The sensation makes my stomach twist, not in pleasure, but in fear. The skin seals right in front of my eyes. No scar. No wound. Nothing. Just smooth skin like nothing ever happened.
I suck in a shaky breath.
He straightens, steps back from the bed, and just like that, whatever danger was in him disappears. His face goes blank. Cold. Distant. Like I’m nothing more than a problem he’s done dealing with.
"That’s what people who choose scolding get," he says flatly.
No emotion. No heat. Just a statement.
My heart starts pounding harder than before.
Right now, I am more frightened than I have ever been in my entire life.
What was I even thinking coming here?
This place is filled with wolves that don’t think like humans. Wolves that don’t follow human rules. And the brothers... the brothers are the worst of them all.
Especially this man.
Gunnar.
He turns his back on me like I don’t exist and walks a few steps away.
"Are you going to sit there and keep staring?" he snaps. "Get off. I’m taking you back to Crescent Hollow."
The words hit me like a slap.
My head jerks up. "What?"
"I said get off," he repeats, already reaching for the door. "You’re going back."
Panic explodes in my chest.
I jump off the bed so fast my legs wobble. "No," I blurt out. "I don’t want to go back there. I won’t. Please."
The desperation in my voice surprises even me.
I didn’t realize how badly I didn’t want to go back until this moment. Until the thought of Crescent Hollow flashes in my head. Ethan’s face. His lies. His calm voice when he deceived me so easily.
I’ve been such a fool.
Trusting him. Loving him. Believing him.
The last thing I want is to go back to him. Back to pretending nothing is wrong.
Gunnar turns slowly. The look he gives me is chilling.
It’s not anger. It’s not rage. It’s something colder.
I swallow hard.
My hands curl into fists at my sides. I force myself to stand straight even though my knees feel weak.
"You don’t get to decide that," he says quietly. "You were never meant to be here in the first place"
"I don’t care," I say. "I’ll stay quiet. I won’t cause trouble. I swear."
He doesn’t respond.
He just stares at me like I’m something fragile and dangerous at the same time.
I realize then that begging him is useless.
Slowly, I nod.
I step off the bed fully, and the movement makes me remember my dress.
It’s shredded.
I glance down at myself and feel embarrassment crawl up my spine. I open my mouth to ask for something to wear—
And just then a knock sounds on the door.
Gunnar doesn’t even look at me. "Come in."
The door opens.
A maid steps inside with her head lowered. She holds out a folded dress with both hands. She doesn’t look at me. She places it in Gunnar’s hands and leaves immediately, shutting the door behind her.
Gunnar tosses the dress at me without warning.
"Put that on." he says detachedly
I catch it clumsily.
I hesitate. "Are you going to—"
Before I can finish, he turns and walks out.
The door shuts behind him.
I release a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
My hands shake as I put the dress on. It’s simple. Dark. Long sleeves. It fits like it was made for me, and that thought makes my skin prickle.
When I’m done, I smooth it down and stand there, waiting.
A few seconds later, the door opens again.
Gunnar steps in.
"Follow me."
No waiting. No checking if I’m ready.
I follow.
We walk through narrow corridors I’ve never seen before. The walls close in tight. The path is barely wide enough for one person. The air feels heavier the deeper we go.
The passage opens suddenly into a thick woods.
My stomach tightens. I recognize this place immediately.
This is the forest.
The same forest where the Mane sisters chased me in their wolf forms. The memory hits hard. My skin heats up as fear crawls back into my body.
Before I can react, my feet lift off the ground and I gasp.
Gunnar has me over his shoulder again like I weigh nothing and then he takes in a crazy run..
The world blurs as the wind hits my face. Trees disappear around us. I can’t see anything but feel everything.
Then suddenly, we stop.
He sets me down roughly on the solid ground. I stumble but don’t fall.
We’re on the main road. freeweɓnovel.cøm
My heart is racing. How does he move like that? Even cars don’t go that fast.
Werewolves only run like this when they shift. Gunnar does it in human form. Faster than anything I’ve ever seen.
A car pulls up in front of us. The same driver from before steps out and bows deeply to Gunnar.
"Get in. Go," Gunnar orders.
I hesitate. I look back at the woods behind him. Dark. Silent. Dangerous.
Part of me doesn’t want to leave. Another part knows I should never have come.
I turn back and get into the car.
The door closes.
Gunnar says something low to the driver. I can’t hear it. The driver nods quickly, gets in, starts the engine, and drives off.
I don’t look back. My hands rest in my lap, clenched tight as minutes pass.
My mind keeps replaying everything that just happened. The bite. The way Gunnar switched off like a switch.
I don’t understand him. I don’t understand any of them..
BAM-! A heavy weight crashes into us immediately and the car tumbles..
